Four teens face criminal charges in Canton after much of downtown was tagged with graffiti, police said.
The investigation began Aug. 9 when Canton city police received a complaint about graffiti. Officers found about 10 properties had been defaced.
Victims included a shoe repair, a blueprint shop, a real estate office, a law firm and the Georgia Department of Corrections. Total damage was estimated at roughly $1,500.
A break in the Cherokee County case came Friday evening, when an officer spotted a gold Chevrolet Malibu occupied by Thomas Gilbreath, 18, his brother Daniel Gilbreath, 17, and Dionte Jenkins, 17, parked in a lot along Railroad Street, police said.
As the motorist started to drive away, the officer made a traffic stop and obtained the consent of its driver, Thomas Gilbreath, to search the car.
Inside, the officer found markers, two cans of black spray paint and a small quantity of marijuana in a Mentos container, according to a police report.
A subsequent investigation led police to a fourth suspect, Blake Jones, also 17. All four teens live in Canton. According to the Cherokee Warriors basketball website, Daniel Gilbreath, Jenkins and Jones were members of the 2010-11 boys varsity team.
Police said the Gilbreaths and Jones admitted tagging buildings. They were each charged with criminal trespass and criminal damage to property. Jenkins was charged with possession of less than an ounce of marijuana, police said.
The suspects were arrested and booked into Cherokee County Jail.
Police said they do not believe the incidents were gang-related. The investigation is continuing, and more arrests are possible, they said.
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